Behind Mitt Romney's Great Sincerity Lies A Liar

Among the attributes I most envy in a public man (or woman) is the ability to lie.

If that ability is coupled with no sense of humor, you have the sort of man who can be a successful football coach, a CEO or, when you come right down to it, a presidential candidate.

Such a man is Mitt Romney.

Time and time again, Romney has been called a liar during this campaign. (The various fact-checking organizations have had to work overtime on him alone.)

A significant moment, sure to surface in the general election campaign, came during a debate held in New Hampshire in January.

David Gregory, the host of "Meet the Press," turned to Newt Gingrich and said, "You have agreed with the characterization that Gov. Romney is a liar. Look at him now. Do you stand by that claim?"

Gingrich did not flinch. "Sure, governor," he started off, and then accused Romney of running ads that were not true and, moreover, pretending he knew nothing about them.

"It is your millionaire friends giving to the PAC. And you know some of the ads aren't true. Just say that straightforward."

Me, I would have confessed and begged for forgiveness.

Not Romney, though — and herein is the reason he will be such a formidable general election candidate.

He concedes nothing. He had seen none of the ads, he said. They were done by others, he added. Of course, they are his supporters, but he had no control over them.

All this time he was saying this rubbish, he seemed calm, sincere — matter of fact.

And then he brought up an ad he said he did see. It was about Gingrich's heretical support for a climate change bill.

He dropped the name of the extremely evil Nancy Pelosi.

He accused Gingrich of criticizing Paul Ryan's first budget plan, an Ayn Rand-ish document whose great virtue is a terrible honesty. (We are indeed going broke.)

He added that Gingrich had been in ethics trouble in the House and ended with a promise to make sure his ads were as truthful as could be.

Pow! Pow! Pow! Gingrich was on the canvas.

I watched, impressed. I admire a smooth liar and Romney is among the best.

His technique is to explain — that bit about not knowing what was in the ads — and then counterattack. He maintains the bulletproof demeanor of a man who is barely suffering fools, in this case Gingrich.

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